Textastic Manual

www.textasticapp.com Copyright 2010-2011 Alexander Blach

Importing and Managing Files 1.1 1.2 1.3 How do I import files using a USB connection? How do I open files from other apps? How can I move, copy and rename files and folders? 4 8 11

FTP, Dropbox, WebDAV, iDisk 2.1 2.2 2.3 How do I connect to an FTP, FTPS or SFTP server? How do I access files in my Dropbox account? How can I quickly upload downloaded files? 17 26 31

Connecting via Wi-Fi / built-in WebDAV server 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Why do I need WebDAV and which clients are supported? Starting the WebDAV-Server Connecting to Textastic with Finder Connecting to Textastic with Windows Explorer 34 35 39 45

Editor 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 How can I bring up the cursor navigation wheel? Which file types are supported? How can I add my own syntax definitions and themes? When does Textastic save file changes? Which keyboard shortcuts can I use with an external hardware keyboard? 49 51 54 57 58

Importing and Managing Files

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How do I import files using a USB connection?

Learn how to use iTunes File Sharing to copy files between your computer and Textastic using a USB connection.

Requirements
iTunes 9.1 or later Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later, or Windows XP SP3 or later

Connect iPad
Connect iPad to your computer using the included Dock Connector to USB cable.

Launch iTunes

Launch iTunes 9.1 or later on your computer.

Select device

Select your iPad from the Devices section of iTunes.

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Go to File Sharing

Click the Apps tab and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Note: If you do not see the File Sharing section shown in the image above, your iPad does not have any apps that support File Sharing. Install Textastic first.

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Choose Textastic

Under the File Sharing section, youll find a list of apps currently installed on your iPad that support File Sharing. Select Textastic to view a list of the files associated with that app on your iPad.

Copy files between your computer and Textastic

Drag and drop files onto the Documents list to copy them to the app on your iPad or... Click the Add button, locate the file or files you want to copy from your computer, and click the Choose button. The selected files will be copied to the app on your iPad immediately. or... Select the file or files you want to copy to your computer from the Documents list and click the Save to
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button. Locate the folder on your computer to which you want to copy the files and click the Choose button. The selected files will be copied to your computer immediately.

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How do I open files from other apps?

Many iPad apps support the Open In... menu. See some examples.

Mail

If you have an email with plain text attachments, simply tap and hold it. (1) Use the Open In "Textastic" (2) command if available, or the Open In... (3) menu to open this attachment in Textastic.

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Good Reader

1) Open the Manage Files panel. 2) Select the file you want to open with Textastic. 3) Tap on the Open In... button 4) Choose Textastic
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ReaddleDocs

Use the Open in... command from the toolbar in the document preview.

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How can I move, copy and rename files and folders?

Learn how to use edit mode in the Files section. This allows you to move, copy and rename local files and folders.

Start Edit mode

Tap on the Edit button in the Files section to enable the edit mode.

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Select files and choose an action

You can select files and folders by tapping on them. Using the buttons on the bottom you can Delete (1) and Move (2) the selected files and folders. Those buttons become active as soon as at least one file is selected.
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Tapping on the button (3) on the right side of every item, you can Rename and Copy the file or folder.

Move

If you have tapped on the Move button in the previous screen, Textastic will bring up a list of your folders. Choose the folder where you want to move the selected files or folders.

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Rename or Copy

If you have tapped on the button on the right side of a file or folder, you can choose to Rename or Copy it.
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Enter new name

If you choose to copy or rename a file or folder, Textastic will ask for a new name.

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FTP, Dropbox, WebDAV, iDisk

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How do I connect to an FTP, FTPS or SFTP server?

Learn how to configure a new FTP, FTPS (FTP over SSL), FTPES (FTP over Explicit Auth SSL) or SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) connection.

Open the File Transfer Screen

Tap on the File Transfer button in the Files section to open the File Transfer screen.
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Add an (S)FTP Connection

Tap on the + button (1) and choose (S)FTP Connection (2) to add a new connection.

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Configure an FTP (Unencrypted) Connection

Choose the "FTP (Unencrypted)" protocol. Configure the connection by setting the host name (this can be a domain name like "example.com" or an ip address), a user name and a password.
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You can also add a custom title that will appear in the connection list and choose another port than the standard port 21. If you enter a path, Textastic will use this as the root path when connecting to the server. Choose the correct character encoding you want to use for this connection. This setting depends on your server's configuration. If you encounter connection problems with the standard "Passive (PASV)" connection mode, try to use "Active (PORT)" instead. Enable the Show Hidden Files setting if you want to see hidden remote files like ".htaccess". You can also try to enable the Debug Log setting. This will create detailed log files in the "logs" directory in Textastic. Note that this logs all traffic for this connection, so only enable this for debugging purposes and make sure to disable it again as soon as possible.

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Configure an FTPS (FTP over SSL) or FTPES Connection

For FTPS / FTP over SSL connections, most settings are the same as for regular FTP connections (see above). Notice the different default port 990. You can also choose FTPES (FTP over Explicit Auth SSL) as protocol which defaults to port 21. FTPS adds an option that allows you to choose if Textastic verifies the SSL certificate of the server. Disable this if you use a self-signed certificate on the server.

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Configure an SFTP (SSH) Connection

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a subsystem of SSH (Secure Shell). You can use this connection type to securely transfer files between your server and Textastic. For more information have a look at SSH File Transfer Protocl (Wikipedia)

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The default port for SFTP connections is 22. Textastic usually switches to the root directory after establishing an SFTP connection. If you want to start at the user's home directory instead, enter "~/" in the Path field. Textastic supports user/password authentication as well as public key authentication. 1. User/Password authentication Enter your user name and password as you would for a regular FTP connection, but disable the Public Key Auth. setting. 2. Public Key Authentication Enter the user name. Enable the Public Key Auth. setting. Now you can enter the path to the private key file. For this to work, you need to transfer the private key file for your SSH account to Textastic. You can do this by using iTunes File Sharing (via USB), Dropbox or the built-in WebDAV server (via Wi-Fi). The standard settings expect a private key file named "id_rsa" in the "ssh" subfolder in Textastic (see screenshot). If you used iTunes File Sharing, the file will be in the root folder, so you can either enter "id_rsa" as the private key file path or move the file to a subfolder. If your private key file is protected with a passphrase, Textastic uses the password setting to retrieve the private key.

Textastic expects the key file to be in the format used by the OpenSSH utility "ssh-keygen". If you instead have a key in PuTTY's format (.ppk), you can use PuTTYgen to convert it to OpenSSH format: Visit the PuTTY website and download puttygen.exe (on your PC). Open it, and using the File menu, load your .ppk that you already use, and type in your passphrase. Now go to the Conversions menu and export the key as an OpenSSH key. You can now use the converted key with Textastic.

If you encounter connection problems, you can enable the Debug Log setting. This will create detailed log files in the "logs" directory in Textastic. Note that this logs all traffic for this connection, so only enable this for debugging purposes and make sure to disable it again as soon as possible.

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Save Connection

Tap Done to save this connection.

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Connect

You can now tap on the newly created connection to connect to the remote server.

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How do I access files in my Dropbox account?

Learn how to access your Dropbox account.

Open the File Transfer screen

Tap on the File Transfer button in the Files section to open the File Transfer screen.

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Add a Dropbox Connection

Tap on the + button (1) and choose Dropbox Connection (2) to add a new Dropbox connection.

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Configure the Connection

You can add a custom title that will appear in the connection list (especially useful if you want to connect to several different Dropbox accounts). Tap on Link Account.

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Enter Dropbox credentials

Enter the Email (1) and Password (2) for your Dropbox account and tap on the Link button (3) to link your Dropbox account to this connection.
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Finish Configuration

The Dropbox Connection is now linked to your Dropbox account. Tap on the Done button.

Connect

You can now tap on the newly created connection to connect to your Dropbox account.
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How can I quickly upload downloaded files?

Textastic offers a fast and easy way to upload files you downloaded from a remote server. You can also download the latest version if you know that the file was changed on the remote server.

Display Remote Connection Information

When you upload or download files from a remote server (Dropbox or FTP), Textastic saves the connection used for the download as well as the remote path of the file. You can see this information in the File Properties popover. In Textastic 2.2 you can save several remote locations per file by uploading the file to another location or downloading the file from another location and overwriting the local file in the File Transfer screen (tap on the "globe" button). You can tap on the path to see the full remote path.

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Quickly Upload or Download

When a file is linked to a remote connection, there are two new options when you tap on the Action button: Upload This File: This uploads the currently open file to the same remote location it was originally downloaded from Download Latest: This will connect to the remote server and try to download the latest version of the file If there are links to more than one remote connection, Textastic will ask you which one to use. This lets you quickly upload your changes or update your downloaded files.

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Connecting via Wi-Fi / built-in WebDAV server

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Why do I need WebDAV and which clients are supported?

The built-in WebDAV server allows you to easily transfer files to Textastic from your Mac or PC via Wi-Fi.

Supported Clients
Windows and Mac OS X include WebDAV clients so you can use Windows Explorer and Finder to manage the files in Textastic. Textastic is tested against Mac OS X Finder, Windows Explorer (Vista and Windows 7), Cyberduck, BitKinex and the Total Commander WebDAV plugin.

More
If you want to know more about WebDAV, consult the excellent Wikipedia article on WebDAV. Textastic 2.2 also includes a WebDAV client in addition to the WebDAV server.

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Starting the WebDAV-Server

Learn how to configure and start the builtin WebDAV server in order to manager your files via Wi-Fi.

Open the WebDAV screen

When you are in portrait orientation, tap on the Files button (1) to open the file manager popover. Tap on the Wi-Fi button (2) to open the WebDAV screen.
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Configure

The WebDAV server always asks for user credentials. By default, the user name is "textastic" and the password is "password". It's recommended to change these settings before starting the server. (1) You can choose a custom port or use the default port 80 (2).
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Start the Server

Start the WebDAV server by flipping the "Server Started" switch to ON (3).

Use a WebDAV client to connect to Textastic

Connect to the server you just started from your Mac or from Windows.

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Notes
Textastic will not enter standby mode as long as the WebDAV server is running. Use the power button on your iPad to manually put it to sleep. For security reasons, the WebDAV server is not automatically restarted when you close and then re-open the app. This is to prevent the app from exposing your files without your knowledge.

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Connecting to Textastic with Finder

Learn how to connect to the builtin WebDAV server using Finder on Mac OS X.

Requirements

Your Mac must be connected to the same network as your iPad running Textastic. The iPad must be connected via Wi-Fi.

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Make sure the WebDAV server is started

Start the WebDAV server and note the WebDAV url.

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Open "Connect to Server" dialog

Switch to Finder. Open the Go menu (1) and select Connect to Server (2).

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Connect

Enter the url from the Textastic WebDAV screen (1) and click on Connect (2).

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Enter credentials

Enter user name and password you chose when setting up the WebDAV server. (Defaults are "textastic" and "password"). (1) Click on Connect (2).

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Manage your files

You can now use Finder to manager your files.

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Connecting to Textastic with Windows Explorer

Learn how to connect to the builtin WebDAV server using Explorer on Windows.

Requirements

Your Windows PC must be connected to the same network as your iPad running Textastic. Textastic currently supports Windows Vista and Windows 7. If you need to connect from older versions of Windows (like XP), please use a third party client like BitKindex or Total Commander with WebDAV-Plugin. The iPad must be connected via Wi-Fi. It is recommended that all Vista users install this WebDAV/Web Folders update from Microsoft. (This is not required on Windows 7)

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Make sure the WebDAV server is started

Start the WebDAV server and note the WebDAV url.

Connect from Windows Vista / Windows 7

Windows Vista/Windows 7 users have two options for connecting to the Textastic WebDAV server: You can either map a network drive to the Files server, or create a network location. Both methods are described below. 1) Map a Network Drive 1. Open Computer from the Start Menu. 2. Click on the Map Network Drive button in the toolbar. 3. Enter the Textasic WebDAV URL into the Folder field. 4. Click the blue link Connect using a different username to enter your username and password. 5. Click Finish to create the new drive letter. This will map Files to a network drive with a name such as: "DAVWWWRoot (\\192.168.63.176@80) Y:" To reconnect in future just open this network drive from Computer.

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Note: If you change your username or password you may need to re-create the Network drive to gain access to Files. 2) Create a Network Location 1. Open Computer from the Start Menu. 2. Click on the Map Network Drive toolbar item. 3. In the Map Network Drive window, click Connect to a Web site that you can use to store your documents and pictures, click Next. 4. Select Choose a custom network location, click Next. 5. In the Internet or network address field, enter the Textastic WebDAV URL 6. You will be prompted for your username and password. 7. Enter a name for the connection and click Next. 8. Ensure that Open this network location when I click Finish is checked and click Finish. In the future you can connect simply by opening "My Network Places" and double-clicking the network location you created. You may need to select "Refresh" from the window's context-menu to ensure that Windows has an up-to-date view of your files and folders. Note: If you change your username or password you may need to re-create the Network location to gain access to Files.

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Editor

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How can I bring up the cursor navigation wheel?

Textastic has a special control that allows you to quickly change the current selection.

You can bring up the cursor navigation wheel by tapping on the editor with two fingers. You can close the control by tapping with two fingers again or by using the close button on the top right.
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Move the control by using the button on the lower right.

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Which file types are supported?

A list of all supported plain text file types.

Supported file types

Textastic has syntax highlighting support for the following plain text file types: ActionScript Active4D Ada Apache (conf, htaccess) AppleScript ASP, ASP vb.NET BibTeX C C++ CoffeeScript CSS CSV D Diff DokuWiki Dylan Eiffel Erlang Fortran Grails Server Page Groovy Haskell HTML (various variants) Ini Java Java properties Java Server Page JavaScript JSON LaTeX LilyPond Lisp LiveCode
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 Logo Lua Mail Makefile Markdown MATLAB Mediawiki MEL MIPS Assembler Modula-3 MulitMarkdown Nemerle Objective-C Objective-C++ OCaml Octave Pascal Perl PHP PowerShell Prolog Property List Python Regular Expressions RJS Ruby Ruby Haml Ruby on Rails Scheme Shell Script SQL SSH Config Strings File TCL TeX Textile TSV XML XSL YAML

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Note: Textastic uses syntax definitions and themes from TextMate.

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How can I add my own syntax definitions and themes?

Textastic allows you to add your own custom syntax definitions and themes. You can add TextMate -compatible .tmbundle and .tmTheme files.

Add Folder

Go to the root folder in the Files section. Tap on the "+" button.

Enter Folder Name

Choose "Folder" and enter "#Textastic" as the Folder Name. Tap "Done".

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Check folder icon

Make sure the newly created folder has a special icon as seen in the screenshot. The folder name is case sensitive.

Copy custom syntax definitions and files

Copy your .tmbundle TextMate bundles and .tmTheme themes into this directory.
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Restart the app

The new files are loaded on application startup. Please restart the app for changes to take effect. To do this, leave the app by tapping on the home button once. Then open the task switcher by hitting the home button twice, and then hold down on Textastic until the icon it starts jiggling. A red - should appear on the corner of the app icon. Press it to quit the app.

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When does Textastic save file changes?

Here you can find details about the saving mechanism.

Notes
Apple recommends in the iPad Human Interface Guidelines that apps should ask people to save only when necessary. Textastic automatically saves file changes every 10 seconds and when the file is closed to open another file. By using the Undo button you can undo changes in the currently open file.

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Which keyboard shortcuts can I use with an external hardware keyboard?

Here you can find a list of keyboard shortcuts you can use when you connect a wireless bluetooth keyboard or a keyboard dock to your iPad. These shortcuts work in all iOS apps.

Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts supported by iOS / iPad: Cmd+A - Select All Cmd+C - Copy Cmd+X - Cut Cmd+V - Paste Cmd+Z - Undo Cmd+Shift+Z - Redo Shift+Arrow - Select text Cmd+Up/Down - Move cursor to the beginning/end of the file Cmd+Left/Right - Move cursor to beginning/end of the current line Alt+Left/Right - Move cursor to the previous/next word Esc - Bring up virtual on-screen keyboard Alt-Delete - Delete the word to the left of the cursor Cmd-Delete - Delete everything on the current line to the left of the cursor

iOS also supports these Emacs keybindings: Ctrl-A - Move cursor to the beginning of the line Ctrl-E - Move cursor to the end of the line Ctrl-F - Move cursor forward one character Ctrl-B - Move cursor backward one character Ctrl-K - Kill/delete text between cursor and the end of the line Ctrl-H - Delete one character to the left

Note: Unfortunately, these shortcuts are entirely provided by the iOS operating system and there's no way for third party developers to extend them with custom shortcuts.

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